I am new to the site and am hoping to gather some good information from the people who use this forum.

I have been hunting for several years on other friends properties. I have thought of doing a lease but with a family I can't afford the cost. My family has a farm in Fannin county, between Ivanhoe and Telephone. I am 30 now and used to go out there with my father when I was younger. The property is roughly 300 acres, 175-200 of which is timber (trees and such). The other 100 or so acres is grazing land. The property has never been hunted heavily and I don't think but one or two deer ever shot off it. We have never put feeders out or food plots and I am trying to decide if it is worth the time to put in and hunt the property. I feel like I have read that the Fannin area has been dwindling in deer numbers as of late. Please let me know what you think and if it worth my time to try to develop the area for hunting. I am not a trophy hunter, I hunt more for meat. Thanks

Invest in a cheap trail camera and put it out on water, fence crossing, etc and inventory what you have available that would be the best way for me on a piece of land that I had no experience with.

That part of the county is not bad. Especially if it doesn't get a lot of pressure. Food plots on timber edge/transistion ground are better in my opinion than feeders especially if there are no cows on it; Mineral supplements or blocks do well there too.

Trail camera is a good idea too;

You should have some pretty good hunting up there. I hunt just East of Telephone and our hunting has been good. I would think that you would be able to drop a doe or two either during archery season or over the Thanksgiving doe harvest weekend.

I haven't had much luck with feeders, but food plots have worked well in the past. Hogs are a new phenomena in that area. I'm not sure how they will affect hunting going forward.

Good luck and maybe I'll see you in the cafe in Ivanhoe sometime.

JR

The deer population should be coming back. I had a worthless aunt who lived outside Telephone that would shot every deer she saw, no matter what month of the year. Luckily, she's gone now.

As other suggested, get a camera and put it up. Find trails or areas where the deer could bed and see what you have. Keep it in one spot for a month, then move it around.

Good luck
FWIW,my dad was born and raised in Ivanhoe and my mom in Revenna

If you feed them they will come..........sometimes! Sounds like it is worth checking it out. Good luck!